Historical Record
Cui Yu has no clear record in the official histories such as the Records of the Three Kingdoms. Regarding his life, native place, official posts, or any specific deeds, the historical materials offer nothing to verify. This means that in the true record of history, Cui Yu may have been an obscure minor figure, or his deeds simply failed to be recorded by the historians, so that no historical image of him can be sketched from the historical materials. Whether or not he existed, and what role he played in historical events, cannot be confirmed through the official histories.
In the Novel
In Luo Guanzhong's historical novel the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Cui Yu appears as a subordinate general of the Eastern Wu commander Zhu Ran, and his image revolves mainly around the Battle of Xiaoting. He first appears in Chapter 82 of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, offering a cautious suggestion at the critical moment when Zhu Ran faced the night raid by Feng Xi, a subordinate of Sun Huan. At that time, Zhu Ran had believed the words of a surrendered soldier who claimed to be one of Feng Xi's men, and wished to lead troops to relieve Sun Huan. Cui Yu, however, was doubtful of this, and counseled Zhu Ran: "The words of a common soldier cannot be deeply trusted. Should there be any mishap, the two armies, by water and by land, will all be finished. The general should only firmly hold the naval camp; I am willing to go in the general's stead." These words embody Cui Yu's prudence and his clear grasp of the war situation; he held that one should not lightly believe the words of an enemy's surrendered soldier, lest one fall into the enemy's stratagem of feigned surrender. Volunteering to go himself, he was willing to go in Zhu Ran's place to scout out the truth—showing both his loyalty and his courage. Zhu Ran adopted his suggestion and dispatched Cui Yu to lead ten thousand troops forward. However, that night Feng Xi, Zhang Nan, and Wu Ban divided their forces into three routes and indeed broke into Sun Huan's camp; flames rose on all four sides, and the Wu troops fell into chaos. How Cui Yu's expedition ended is not clearly stated in the novel, but judging from the course of the battle, the ten thousand troops he led very likely also became embroiled in the melee, even suffering losses. Cui Yu's function in the novel is mainly, through his remonstrance, to set off Zhu Ran's error of judgment at the critical moment, while also foreshadowing the subsequent rout of the Wu army. Though his dialogue is but a single line, it plays an important role in advancing the plot, presenting the image of a relatively rational general who dares to take responsibility.
Key Relationships
* Relationship with Zhu Ran: Cui Yu is a subordinate general of Zhu Ran; in the novel, he counsels Zhu Ran, expressing his concern over the enemy's feigned surrender, and volunteers to go to the rescue in Zhu Ran's stead. This indicates a superior-subordinate relationship between him and Zhu Ran, and that Cui Yu shows a certain loyalty to Zhu Ran and the quality of daring to remonstrate frankly. Zhu Ran finally adopted his suggestion and dispatched him to lead troops forward, showing Zhu Ran's trust in Cui Yu (novel only).
* Relationship with Feng Xi, Zhang Nan, and Wu Ban: Cui Yu, under Zhu Ran's orders, went to relieve Sun Huan, and his potential opponents were the Shu Han generals Feng Xi, Zhang Nan, and Wu Ban. Although the novel does not directly depict Cui Yu's clash with these three generals, his action was precisely to respond to the night raid these three launched. In the end, the schemes of Feng Xi and the others succeeded, throwing the Wu army into chaos, which indirectly illustrates the predicament Cui Yu faced (novel only).
Iconic Scenes
Cui Yu's iconic scene is concentrated in Chapter 82 of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, in the passage where he counsels his commander Zhu Ran. At that time, Zhu Ran had believed the false report of a surrendered soldier concerning Feng Xi's night raid on Sun Huan's camp, and was about to go personally to the rescue. Cui Yu stepped forward and, with the line, "The words of a common soldier cannot be deeply trusted. Should there be any mishap, the two armies, by water and by land, will all be finished. The general should only firmly hold the naval camp; I am willing to go in the general's stead", expressed his doubt about the enemy's intelligence and proposed a more prudent course of response. Volunteering to go in Zhu Ran's stead, he displayed his cautious judgment and the bearing of a general willing to take responsibility. Although the novel does not describe in detail what befell Cui Yu thereafter, this scene fully portrays his image as a subordinate general—one who, at a critical moment, could keep a clear head, dare to voice a different opinion, and even be willing to put himself at risk. This scene is the only passage in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms in which Cui Yu has dialogue and clear action, and is also the deepest impression he leaves on the reader (novel only).
Relationships
1 relationships
Enemies1
Lines
- 演 ch.82 §12→ Zhu Ran
「小卒之言，未可深信，倘有疏虞，水陸二軍，盡皆休矣。將軍只宜穩守水寨，某願替將軍一行。」
Chapters1 回 ▸
- 演ch.82
Inner monologues · AI-generated1 段 ▸
- I was acting under General Zhu’s orders, leading ten thousand troops to relieve Sun Huan. Once the order was given, I kn